Ayanna Witter-Johnson
| Ayanna Witter-Johnson | |
|---|---|
 Witter-Johnson with cello | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 1980s[1] London, England |
| Genres | Soul, Jazz, Blues |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, singer, songwriter, cellist, arranger, pianist and producer |
| Instrument(s) | Cello, voice, piano |
| Labels | Hill & Gully |
| Website | www |
Ayanna Mose Witter-Johnson (born Apr–Jun 1985, London Borough of Islington) is an English composer, singer, songwriter and cellist. Her notable performances include opening for the MOBO Awards "Pre-Show" in 2016, and playing the Royal Albert Hall, London, on 6 March 2018.
Background and career
Ayanna Witter-Johnson was born in London, England, of Jamaican heritage;[2] her mother is a teacher and her father is a television, film and theatre actor Wil Johnson.[3] She began playing the piano when she was four years old and the cello at 13.[4]
Witter-Johnson completed a first-class degree in Classical Composition at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in the UK and won the Trinity Laban Silver Award in 2008, subsequently earning a master's of Music (MMus) degree in Composition at the Manhattan School of Music in the USA.[5] While in America in 2010, she became the first non-American to win first place at the Apollo Theater's famous Amateur Night,[6][7] whose previous winners included Ella Fitzgerald and Jimi Hendrix. Witter-Johnson (who shared first place) was the only non-American to have won the competition.[3] She was a MOBO award shortlist nominee ("Best Jazz Act") in 2012.[8]
Performing both classical and contemporary music – she sings while playing the cello and has described her song-writing style as "a bit of soul, hip-hop and reggae"[9] – Witter-Johnson has toured with artists including Anoushka Shankar, Courtney Pine, Andrea Bocelli and Peter Gabriel. She recorded with Akala and composed for the London Symphony Orchestra.[3][10]
She has said: "Some of my inspirations both musical and non-musical are
Awards
- 2008: Trinity Silver Award
- 2008: Vivian Prindl Outreach Prize
- 2010: Winner of Amateur Night Live at the Apollo Theater in Harlem[4]
- 2011: Edward & Sally Van Lier Fund
- 2012: Shortlist nominee for "Best Jazz Act" at the MOBO Awards
Selected discography
- 2011: Truthfully (EP)
- 2014: Black Panther (EP)
- 2018: Truthfully Still (EP)
- 2019: Road Runner (Album)
- 2020: Crossroads (Single)
- 2023: Ocean Floor (Album)
References
- ^ "Interview: When I grow up I want to be ... one of these people", The Observer, 15 March 2009.
- ^ Grace, "'It's a groove, a declaration and an invitation to celebrate your uniqueness' - Ayanna Witter-Johnson on her new single", Guestlist, 1 April 2019.
- ^ a b c Dionne Grant, "Ayanna Witter-Johnson: String Sensation", The Voice, 8 February 2014.
- ^ a b c "Musicvein Interviews Ayanna Witter-Johnson", 14 March 2014.
- ^ "Ayanna Witter-Johnson", Alumni Profiles, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.
- ^ "Apollo Theater", NYC Manhattan.
- ^ "SheCAN: Quick Chat with Ayanna Witter-Johnson", Alt-Africa.
- ^ "Ayanna Witter-Johnson nominated for 2012 MOBO Awards", Music Earth Rise, 24 September 2012.
- ^ "Ayanna Witter-Johnson | PROFILE", The Cusp, 13 January 2017.
- ^ "Ayanna Witter-Johnson" at The Nest Collective.
External links
- Official website
- Ayanna Witter-Johnson on Scala Radio
- Ayanna Witter-Johnson (BBC Music)
- Royal Albert Hall: Ayanna Witter-Johnson
- "'Roxanne' | Ayanna Witter Johnson | live at MOBO Awards Pre-Show | 2016", YouTube video.
- "SheCAN: Quick Chat with Ayanna Witter-Johnson", Alt-Africa.
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